In the past bamboo has been used in many ways for many different applications. One of the most important has been its use in structural elements and space-dividers, and in the finish of various kinds of building.
A variety of bamboo to be found in several parts of Colombia, Ecuador, and Venezuela, named guadua angustifolia has been used in preparing structures. The variety has great physical and mechanical properties and is one of the best for the above described uses.
In Colombia, it has been used in construction since Colonial days, and a regional culture has grown up around construction methods and system which use guadua, ranging from very simple and humble constructions to the most grandiose and complex ones.
The guadua is part of the collective memory of the inhabitants of these regions, since it has been used to satisfy a wide variety of construction needs, surviving time, earthquakes and other natural disasters. This has been possible since its is highly accessible in terms of cost and reliability.
Throughout history, man has been concerned in developing construction methods and technologies which will solve the problems of high demand for housing and buildings for different uses efficiently and with a low environmental impact. Often, the use of new materials and methods generates complex processes which are highly capital-intensive and have a negative environmental impact since they generate non-biodegradable waste.
It is therefore advantageous to find a practical system for the use of bamboo in construction since it is a totally natural material which does no damage to the ecosystem; indeed, it provides many benefits for the growing zones, and can be exploited in may uses.
Benefits such as the protection of water sources, erosion control, the generation of natural woodland faster than any other forestry resource, and perpetual self-regeneration.
Exploitation has been selective, with only part of the tree being cut down, and this preserves the woodland and maintains the benefits to the ecosystem over time. There is also a high economic impact in the generation of wealth and employment, to the extent that the exploitation of bamboo can become one of the driving forces behind regional development.
The bamboo is a plant which is widely used in other parts of the world, especially the East (China, Japan, India, Indonesia etc.) as well as in Colombia. It has brought development in many fields, especially large-scale construction. Jointing systems, tools and traditional joints have all been tried out.
A search for prior art references was made in the US Patents Bank, and several patents were found to involve bamboo, but all of them were related to the construction of flooring, the manufacture of kiosks and (mostly) in the manufacture of structures for furniture.
German Patent DE 3817236 “Junction Connection for Frameworks consisting of Bamboo”, in the name of Brusnowitz Gierg Dipling, published on 23 Nov. 1989, describes a system for the preparation of 3-dimensional structures such as arch-formers using bamboo sticks joined together with metal clamps which tie them together and articulate them.